HL Deb 24 October 2000 vol 618 c27WA
Lord Lipsey

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What justification there is for exempting the first 15 pence of the value of luncheon vouchers from income tax and National Insurance. [HL4112]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Employment benefits provided by voucher are generally chargeable to income tax and national insurance contributions. The exception for the first 15p per day of a luncheon voucher is a long-standing concession that successive Governments have not withdrawn but whose value has not been increased. Only a tiny proportion of employees now receive such vouchers.